Investigators from the University of Iowa request support to purchase an Acuson Sequoia c256 cardiac ultrasound imager. The proposal fosters the Aims of investigators with diverse interests and backgrounds-ranging from integrative physiology to basic molecular science. Two of the primary Users of the instrument, Felder and Kerber, are researchers and clinical cardiologists. They have employed echocardiography for clinical diagnosis as well as in the research setting. The remaining five primary Users are non-physician basic scientists. The proposal addresses the need for these investigators to assess whole organ function, primarily cardiac, in mice, rats, and larger animals. All investigators address Aims directed at mechanistic understanding of cardiovascular disease. The instrument will provide data individually tailored to these Aims. Preliminary studies have been performed using a comparable instrument located at a remote site, the Iowa City VA Medical Center. These studies have demonstrated the capability of the instrument to provide accurate reliable image data non-invasively. Unfortunately, the remote location of that instrument, and its use full time as a clinical imager, impose critical restraints on the number and complexity of experiments that can be performed. These studies have demonstrated the capability of the instrument to provide accurate reliable image data non-invasively. Unfortunately, the remote location of that experiment, and its use full time as a clinical imager, impose critical restraints on the number and complexity of experiments that can be performed. In pursuit of the Aims of the investigators, we request an instrument that will be devoted entirely to research in laboratory animals.